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New research aims to improve hypertension diagnosis during pregnancy

Research

Oxford researchers awarded £2.5m funding for study involving 2,000 pregnant women.

Photo of woman having her blood pressure taken © Nasir Hamid / OU Images
Photo of woman having her blood pressure taken

A new programme of research, led by the University of Oxford, will explore whether giving pregnant women the means to monitor their own blood pressure and urine safely from home can result in an earlier diagnosis of raised blood pressure (hypertension) and pre-eclampsia, for faster access to treatment.

Raised blood pressure during pregnancy affects around 1 in ten women worldwide, with around half developing pre-eclampisa. Pre-eclampsia, which can lead to seizures, is a major cause of death and premature birth in the UK and worldwide if not diagnosed early and accurately monitored.

Read more (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences website)

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